64-bit SUSE 10 Linux is the best version I've loaded on a notebook, so far.

Readers will recall my recent reviews of SUSE 9.2 and 9.3. Life just keeps getting better for me and my half-year old HP Pavilion zv5000 (AMD Athlon 64) laptop. Those distributions were very good, although they each had their own unique challenges. The 10.0 offering has fixed almost all of the nagging problems in the 9.x series.

With the exception of three things (the Broadcom WiFi chip, playing video DVDs, and the card reader), I think this version represents one of the best choices for a new user considering Linux.

This story started out as a review of the latest SUSE Linux release for 64-bit laptops. As I read other reviews, it became clear many of the new features (like Beagle and Xen) had been covered adequately. Since quite a few readers have asked for instructions on how to get that mysterious "Broadcom 802.11.b/g chip" working and the DVD playing, I figured that these topics were more applicable, especially for new Linux users.

After all, the lack of a WiFi connection and a basic DVD video player casts doubt on the rest of the release.

By applying the quick fixes (well, pretty much) that I've outlined, you can then concentrate on exploring and enjoying trouble-free high-performance computing with the rest of SUSE Linux 10.

Next: Load the DVD and Go »